Decisions: Manual vs Auto

[Cuda340]

Originally Posted by RRHemi

The SRT8 Charger has 3.08 gears so the Chally with 3.90 is going to rock in the quarter mile. High 12's I would guess!

SRT Chargers are running in the high 12s. I expect the Challenger, with the lower gearing, to be in the mid-12s.

[RRHemi]

I think 13.1 is lowest E.T I have seen for these cars??
http://www.tunercalcs.com/

I entered 425hp - 15% to get to rwhp.
For a 3800 lb car the result would be 12.75

[dmode11]

What I want to know is if they are going to charge more for the manual option. In theory it should be cheaper because of the technology involved, but I have seen car companies charge more for manual transmissions.

They will have to change the assembly line to install the manual, etc.

I hope the price is at least the same, or if it is a few hundred dollars cheaper even better, but I have a feeling it is gonna cost more. If that is the case, I will live with the autostick.

[Kelsey73]

What I am wondering is how the two trans. choices on the challenger will compare. How much if at all better will the 6spd. be against the autostick?

I've got the chance to try for an '08, just don't wanna get that and get stomped by the manual next year.

[Vanishing Point]

No slush box auto for me,...if you can really shift a car good in this particular car comparison, the manual with 3.92's will walk the heavier less geared auto everyday day of the week with the 3.06's (as i already have the auto and 3.06's in my srt-8). The new Shelby GT500's,vipers, new 500hp vettes, The Ford GT all have the manuals and gears. I want the sportier feel and to be able to have the steeper gears with the manual,then the slushier heavier auto with 3.08's which to me is a big draw back in straight line racing "in this comparison." However remember, with the steeper gears I'm hoping the manual will have some wider rubber to compensate for more wheel spin(due to gears), which will result in lousy 1/4 track times. Can anyone say drag radials,...yessssss! If you can't shift worth a darn, then the auto is for you. I'm not going to collect it,..I'm goin racing baby!! Give me the 09 with the manual and the gears, cause i can shift with the best of them after racing for over 25 yrs, as long as there's a good clutch set-up!!

[340EBody]

Originally Posted by sniper226

There have been issues with the auto in the Chargers. Mainly as someone described, hitting the rev limiter before 1-2 shift @ WOT.
I believe the fix was to change the shift point earlier in the rev band instead of allowing the engine to rev high freely until the shif point was reached.

What impact did it have on performance? I don't know. But there was plenty of discussions on the Charger board regarding this.

The "fix" was to turn the autostik into an auto with no manual feature at all. If a SRT8 owner gets his tranny flashed with the "fix", then in "manual" mode, once you hit the rev limiter, the trans just shifts into the next gear just like as if it were in drive. That's why I didn't have mine flashed.

If you really want to "fix" your rev limiter, just to pay attention to the tach and bump the stick when it hits 6200 or so. It ain't rocket science.

[RRHemi]

Originally Posted by Kelsey73

What I am wondering is how the two trans. choices on the challenger will compare. How much if at all better will the 6spd. be against the autostick?

I've got the chance to try for an '08, just don't wanna get that and get stomped by the manual next year.

The difference between 3.06 and 3.92 is huge, regardless of transmission. The 3.92's get the engine to it's peak power point much quicker.

There did not seem to be anything quick about the shifts of the SRT that I drove. In fact it kinda seemed to slime into the next gear. I would bet that pretty much anyone could shift the manual quicker.

Now an auto with a shift kit and high stall converter would be more consistent and maybe a little quicker than the manual. There is probably a reason the auto is so smooth shifting. I am guessing it is because it can't take fast shifts with 400 hp plus, it probably splods!

Has anyone heard how well the rear differentials are holding up in SRT8 cars? Guys are going to be letting these clutches fly, I wonder if this is a weak link.

[Cuda340]

I have been an active member on chargerforums.com. There have been no reported problems of differential trouble with the 5.7 or 6.1 Hemis.